Jacqueline Beard

The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill 2019-21 has completed its Committee stage and is due to have its Report stage and Third Reading on Tuesday 21 July 2020.

The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill was introduced on 20 May 2020. Second Reading in the House of Commons is due to take place on 9 June 2020.

On 27 April 2020 the Justice Secretary said that the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in prisons were lower than had been originally predicted and that prisons were coping and dealing well with the threat of covid-19.

A Westminster Hall debate on health and safety for prison staff is scheduled for Wednesday 18 March 2020 at 9.30am. The Member leading the debate is Grahame Morris MP.

The Sentencing (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Bill [HL] 2019-21 (the “Pre-consolidation Bill”) was introduced in the House of Commons on 4 March 2020 and is due to be considered in Second Reading Committee on 17 March 2020.

The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill 2019-20 was introduced on 11 February 2020. All stages in the House of Commons are due to take place on 12 February 2020. The Bill has been introduced in response to the terrorist attacks on London Bridge in November 2019 and in Streatham in February 2020. The offenders in each of these attacks had been released from prison automatically without the involvement of the Parole Board. The Bill would end the automatic early release of certain terrorist offenders.

This pack has been prepared ahead of the debate to be held in Westminster Hall at 1.30pm on Thursday 6 February 2020 on acquired brain injury. The debate will be opened by Chris Bryant MP.

Children remanded or sentenced to custody are placed in a Young Offenders Institution, a Secure Training Centre or a Secure Children’s Home. Concerns have been raised about the current provision of youth custody, The Government has accepted proposals to introduce secure schools.

This briefing describes the statutory framework governing the release of prisoners in England and Wales and Government proposals to change them.

The Sentencing Bill 2019-20 was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 19 December 2019. No date is yet available for second reading.

The Attorney General has the power to refer sentences for certain offences which he or she believes to be unduly lenient to the Court of Appeal. The Attorney General’s power to refer only applies to serious offences.

There has been a decline in prison safety since 2012. Assaults and incidents of self-harm are at record highs and the number of self-inflicted deaths has risen. Chief Inspectors of Prisons, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman, Independent Monitoring Boards and the Justice Committee have all repeatedly expressed concern. HM Prisons and Probation Service has a national strategy for safety. The Justice Committee has called for an overarching and integrated prisons strategy.

This briefing describes the prison estate in England and Wales. It discusses conditions in the estate and the Government's 'Prison Estate Transformation Programme'.